S. Korea, U.S. to hold joint tabletop exercise

PanARMENIAN.Net - Military and government officials of South Korea and the United States will hold a joint tabletop exercise this week to enhance their ability to cope with bioterrorim activities as well as biological outbreaks, Seoul's defense ministry said Monday, according to Yonhap news agency.

The annual anti-bioterrorism exercise named "Able Response 13" will take place from June 19-21 at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses in Seoul, involving about 200 military and health officials from 50 government organizations of the two countries.

"South Korea and the U.S. will review the government-level integrated response system that relates to not only biological outbreaks but also bioterrorism threats, and discuss ways to enhance bioterrorism response capability," the ministry said in a release.

During this year's exercise, which is to be held for the third time, participants will review bioterrorism capability of the two nations, test simulated scenarios and review the outcomes to identify shortcomings and areas for improvement in the existing response system, the ministry said.